Teaching public policy analysis: Lessons from the field

Understanding how to make the world a better place requires interdisciplinary knowledge. Public policy analysis helps policymakers arrive at informed policy decisions. The policy analysis process involves public problem definition and data collection, stakeholder identification, a rationale for gove...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:The Journal of economic education 2022-03, Vol.53 (2), p.143-149
Main Author: Durrance, Christine Piette
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Case Method (Teaching Technique)
Cost Effectiveness
Economics
Instructional Materials
interdisciplinary
Interdisciplinary Approach
Majors (Students)
Policy Analysis
Policy Formation
Position Papers
Public Policy
Student Projects
Writing Assignments
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Understanding how to make the world a better place requires interdisciplinary knowledge. Public policy analysis helps policymakers arrive at informed policy decisions. The policy analysis process involves public problem definition and data collection, stakeholder identification, a rationale for government involvement, evaluation criteria, identification and analysis of policy alternatives, and a recommendation. Economics informs not only the identification of market failures but also how we think about public problems, evaluate relevant research, identify policy alternatives, weigh objective criteria (costs, benefits, equity), and select optimal solutions. Students of policy analysis gain experience through in-class examples of contemporary topics and an iterative policy paper, where each student selects a public problem, conducts research, and writes an analysis. Students become effective consumers and beginning producers of policy analysis.
ISSN:0022-0485
2152-4068
DOI:10.1080/00220485.2022.2038327